1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scalpels, and more particularly, to a scalpel handle and retractable blade holder for use with disposable or replaceable scalpel blades having a variety of sizes and cutting shapes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the operating room surgical scalpels undergo frequent handling back and forth between members of the surgical team, often in circumstances where speed is a consideration. While there has always been a degree of concern over cuts and nicks which may accidentally occur in the course of such handling, fears over the transmission of AIDS and other infectious diseases through such open wounds have led to various devices for protecting operating room personnel such as retractable scalpel blades and retractable shields for fixed position scalpel blades.
The scalpel described in Cote (U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,672 issued Jul. 11, 1995) is a disposable scalpel in which the blade is mounted on a slidable carriage having an extended cutting position, an intermediate shielded position, and a fully retracted position in which the blade is locked inside the handle for disposal, the slide being controlled a button and slot on the side of the handle. Shackleford (U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,754 issued Jul. 2, 1996) describes a retractable blade mounted on a body member which slides in the handle, controlled by serrations on the body member extending through a slot on the bottom of the handle, with spring clips to lock the blade in place.
A guarded finger scalpel having spring arms which extend the blade when pressed between the thumb and forefinger is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,175 issued to Abidin, et al. on Aug. 13, 1996. The blade does not lock in the cutting position. A surgical knife for ophthalmic surgery is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,453, issued Apr. 15, 1997 to Nallakrisnan. The blade is extended to a cutting position by pressing a plunger at the end of the handle, and the depth of cut is adjustable by a micrometer. Four embodiments of a permanently retractable scalpel blade are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,351 issued Feb. 4, 1997 to Haber et al. A scalpel with the blade mounted on a mandrel biased in a retracted position by a tension spring is described in Australian Patent 651,790 issued to Dillon, et al. Jul. 28, 1994.
Representative examples of a blade held in a fixed position with a retractable guard or shield sliding on the handle are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,281 issued Oct. 29, 1996 to Abidin, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,454 issued Apr. 15, 1997 to Pierce, et al., and European Patent EP 555196 issued to Abidin. While not a scalpel, the sliding blade knife in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 155,378 shows a button and slot on top of the knife handle, but does not show a blade locking position.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe a scalpel handle and blade holder adapted to receiving replacement scalpel blades in a variety of sizes, nor to have an ergonomic button design for controlling extension of the scalpel blade as shown in the instant invention. Thus a scalpel with a retractable blade solving the aforementioned problems is desired.